Tag Archives: crowd-sourced patronage

It’s my 54th birthday! Please help me keep making art :)

Berlin artist Suzanne Forbes in La Femme en Noir in kitchen Jan 3 2020Hi! I’m 54!

I look great, right? I love my self-cut hair, my fat disabled body, my powerhouse survivor’s journey of recovery and growth, and the 1,265 unique pieces of original art I’ve made since I started my Patreon crowd-funding!

And I need your help. To keep making art and to become a permanent resident of Germany.

Can you spare $1/1€ a month to support my crowdfunded documentary art of queer culture?

Crowdfunded Berlin artist Suzanne Forbes Jan 3 2020 4I am incredibly grateful to the small group of very generous Patrons who have made my free queer art possible the last five years.

Because of my Patrons, I’ve been able to make documentary art of Queer Berlin and release it for free, even as I become increasingly disabled by autoimmune illness and C-PTSD. Most of my Patrons have been with me from the beginning, and their support is my treasure, my power center, my grail.

My income is half what it was last year, as Patrons’ circumstances have changed, the censorship impact of SESTA/FOSTA means I have to do my more explicit work for free, and people can’t afford to buy my original art at present.

And I’m gonna earn way less this year, as I need to reduce my posting while I (finally!) learn German and recover from burnout.

I was posting like 14 times a month for much of last year, and donating all my extra money to mutual aid! It was awesome. But also crisis-based and unsustainable. This year I’m exhausted, burned out, very sick, AND it is time for us to apply for permanent residency in Germany!

crowdfunded Berlin artist Suzanne Forbes Jan 3 2020 in salonPlease help me show a stable income as we apply for permanent residency!

All I need is a dollar/euro a month from you, for this one year. If you can’t sign up for my Patreon, please share this post on your socials (yes even FB, even though I don’t have a FB account) and tell people about how I make documentary art and release it for free.

You can see the 298 original pieces of art I made thanks to my Patrons in 2020 here.

308 pieces of art I made in 2019 here.

255 pieces of art I made in 2018 here.

280 pieces of art I made in 2017 here.

Some of the around 100 pieces of art I made in 2016 here.

Some of the around 40 pieces of art I made in 2015. the year I started my Patreon, here.

The single posted work of art I made in 2014, the last year I had a day job, here.

Yeah, it makes all the difference, I can’t actually make art if I have to hold any kind of job. But with Patron support, I make so much art, and you can help!

Vaccine Phoenix on balcony by Suzanne Forbes March 2020I love you, I believe in you, our love and our bravery and our persistence is FIRE.

You can share my socials, twitter is @slurketta and insta is here.

 

Live painting during A(RT)ffair at Ludwig Berlin!

Suzanne Forbes painting Natasha Enquist at Ludwig on Aug 19 2017 photo by Xushaw

Suzanne Forbes painting Miss Natasha Enquist at Ludwig on Aug 19 2017. photo by Xushaw

SO much appreciation to Suzanne Wegh and Natascha Artworx for creating our wonderful art event at Ludwig Berlin this past weekend.

We had new works from all three of us, live painting (me) and drawing (by lots of cool women), modelling by Miss Natasha Enquist, live body-painting by Natascha Artworx on Alfred Ladylike as human canvas, a gorgeous performance by Leo Gold, and music by NanseaBerlin.

Artffair at Ludwig Aug 19 2017

Clockwise from left, curator Suzanne Wegh, Natascha Artworx in front of works from her “Selfie” series, me painting Miss Natasha Enquist, my husband studies my portrait of Rah Hell.

It was so much fun! I was so happy to be able to book electro-accordion chanteuse Miss Natasha Enquist as our model; she is an extraordinary performer and one of the best life models I’ve ever known. This outfit was inspired by her rad look when she rode on a float at Christopher Street Day Berlin! She kicked it up a notch with the creepy white latex gloves!

Miss Natasha Enquist seated at Ludwig Aug 23 2017 by Suzanne ForbesMy colleague and fellow art instructor at ESDIP Berlin Omar Jaramillo came and made art!

He is a remarkable watercolorist and painting teacher; I had never seen his tonal work before and was dazzled by these lovely wash drawings. Check his Insta for more beauty!

Omar Jaramillo and his drawings of Natasha Enquist at Ludwig Aug 19 2017Omar Jaramillo and his drawings of Natasha Enquist at Ludwig Aug 19 2017

Omar Jaramillo and his drawings of Natasha Enquist at Ludwig Aug 19 2017

My beloved genius Daria Rhein came and made jaw-dropping drawings of Miss Enquist, on her new ipad Pro thing- I had no idea work like this could be created digitally.

Click over to Daria’s Instagram to see more!

Miss Natasha Enquist and Alfred Ladylike drawn by Daria Rhein Aug 19 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist and Alfred Ladylike drawn by Daria Rhein Aug 19 2017

I taught a quick lesson on how to do a gesture drawing, and made vegan treats! We raised 90 euros in our donation jar, not bad!

The house was packed, a wonderful representation of queer Berlin, and several of my former drawing students came and drew, how lovely! Photo of me and new drawer Ursula by artist Xushaw who I know from ESDIP’s monthly Life Drawing nights.

Artffair at Ludwig Berlin Aug 18 2017Alfred Ladylike posed for Natascha Artworx as her human canvas.

Natascha was wearing an amazing art dress she had customized and painted. The person who owned the dress was getting divorced and planned to burn it, and it got turned into art instead!

Natascha Artworx painting Alfred Ladylike at Ludwig Aug 22 2017 by Suzanne Forbes

Miss Natasha Enquist posing and Alfred Ladylike as human canvas for Natasha Artworx Aug 19 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist posing and Alfred Ladylike as human canvas for Natascha Artworx, Aug. 19 2017

30 minute portrait of Miss Natasha Enquist by Suzanne Forbes and Fluid Gallery at Ludwig Berlin Aug 10 2017

30 minute portrait of Miss Natasha Enquist by Suzanne Forbes and the Fluid Gallery at Ludwig Berlin, Aug. 19 2017

The finished 30 minute portrait of Miss Natasha Enquist, above.

We gave out free raffle tickets and raffled it off at the end of the night! Free art! And there was even a secret surprise performance by Alfred! Her Donut Heart bandmate Rah Hell was represented in portraiture by both myself and Natascha, and performed the raffle ticket drawing. What a heavenly evening.Miss Natasha Enquist and Alfred Ladylike drawn by Suzanne Forbes Aug 19 2017 Ludwig Berlin

My infinite thanks to Suzanne Wegh and Natascha Artworx for managing this event. If you’d like to help support their creative work, here’s Suzanne’s Patreon and Natascha’s Patreon. Visit Miss Natasha Enquist’s Spotify here and Donut Heart on bandcamp here.

30 minute painting of Miss Natasha Enquist painted by Suzanne Forbes at Ludwig Berlin Aug 19 2017